Rare bird eggs stolen for private collections and illegal trading is becoming a menace for British wildlife.

Brits are well known to be bird lovers but there’s a minority out there trying to make profit out of our flying friends.

Every year around Easter Dyfed-Powys Rural & Wildlife Crime Team team-up with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and police forces and partner agencies across the UK to prevent this practice.

Developed in Scotland 24 years ago, Operation Easter targets egg thieves by sharing intelligence across the UK to support enforcement action.

In recent years the operation has been expanded to cover some emerging trends of criminal behaviour – the illegal taking of raptor eggs or chicks to launder into falconry; the online trade in eggs and the disturbance of nests for photography.

Whole clutches of eggs can be taken from some of the UK’s rarest birds with potentially devastating impacts.

“The Dyfed-Powys Rural & Wildlife Crime Team is working in close partnership with the National Wildlife Crime Unit to play our part in the UK wide operation.” said Sergeant Matthew Langley, Force lead for Operation Easter.

“PC Roger Jones, a wildlife crime officer currently seconded to Natural Resources Wales, will be visiting the sites with partner agencies and other members of the rural crime team and will be involved in the gathering of information and intelligence through targeted patrols and communication with key partnership agencies.

Wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected species, but despite this birds are still persecuted and suffer cruel treatment.

Birds can be shot, poisoned, unlawfully trapped, have their nests disturbed or destroyed and eggs are stolen.

Operation Easter is a yearly event that Chief Inspector Kevin Kelly describes as ‘engrained’ in wildlife policing, designed to prevent wild eggs ending up in secret collections.

“This year we have given the operation some much needed emphasis, focusing our efforts onto assisting Police Wildlife Crime Officers on the front line,” said Chief Inspector Kelly.

“The National Wildlife Crime Unit collates and disseminates the information that identifies the hotspot areas where the crimes are likely to be committed and we work with Police officers and partners to ensure these areas of interest are given the attention they deserve, to protect the future of our wild birds.

“We have a number of skilled and dedicated Police Wildlife Crime Officers across the UK who have adopted this operation and will work with us to reduce criminality, and for this, I thank them greatly.”

If you have any information on egg thieves, or those who disturb rare nesting birds without a license, you should contact your local police by dialling 101 - ask to speak to a wildlife crime officer if possible.

Nesting will be in full swing by April so please contact the police if you see anyone acting suspiciously around nesting birds.